Karzai sworn in as Afghan president for second term

The sitting Afghan president Hamid Karzai was sworn in as the president of the post-Taliban country for the second term on Thursday amid tight security.

His oath taking ceremony, at Karzai's fortified Palace, was administered by the country's Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi. Foreign guests attending the inauguration ceremony included Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and foreign ministers of France, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

Karzai was declared the winner of the fraud-marred presidential election on Nov. 2, just one day after his top challenger Abdullah Abdullah boycotted the runoff.

The ceremony was held amid very tight security as roads and streets in the capital city were blocked and the government announced public holiday for Kabul residents. Kabul international airport was also banned for normal national and international flights.

Police and army soldiers have been deployed in all sensitive areas, cross roads, intersections and hilltops in and around Kabul to ensure security for the inauguration ceremony.

Karzai, who has been leading Afghanistan since the collapse of Taliban regime over the past eight years, formally took office for the second five-year term from Thursday.

News Update:

Security tight for Karzai inauguration

Security forces have increased patrols on some streets in the Afghan capital of Kabul while others have been blocked entirely. Authorities are bracing for possible attacks during the inauguration ceremony that will cement President Hamid Karzai's re-election victory. Full Story>>

Afghan policemen search a vehicle at a checkpoint in Kabul in October 2009. Afghan and international authorities have ordered a security lockdown on Kabul to stop Taliban attacks marring Thursday's  inauguration of President Hamid Karzai for another five years in power. (AFP/File/Shah Marai)

The 51-year-old Karzai was Afghanistan's first democratically elected president. The October 2004 presidential election showed that most Afghans recognized Karzai offered the best prospects for stability after a quarter century of conflict. Full Story>>

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Afghanistan . Her first visit as America's top diplomat comes on the eve of President Hamid Karzai's inauguration. Full Story>>